Investigating the anthropological foundations of the meaning of loneliness according to Simin Behbahani and Ervin Yalom

Subject Areas : Comparative Literature Studies

Parnia Aman ¹ , Hadi Heydariania ² , Mahmoud Sadeghzadeh ³

1 - PhD student in Persian language and literature, Yazd branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran.
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Yazd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran.
3 - Professor of the Department of Persian Language and Literature, Yazd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran.

Received: 2023-01-12 Accepted : 2023-05-15 Published : 2023-11-22

Keywords: loneliness, Existentialism, Simin Behbahani, Ervin Yalom,

Abstract :

 Existentialism is a fledgling philosophy that emerged from the end of the 19th century, and it is the cornerstone of this school's meaning therapy. Loneliness is one of Yalom's anthropological foundations regarding the meaning of life. Loneliness is one of the themes that humans have faced throughout history and it is a meaning and concept in various fields such as mysticism and Sufism, psychology, philosophy and love. According to Yalom, the four anxieties of freedom, loneliness, death and meaninglessness are rooted in the truth of human existence. Yalom believes that in order to get rid of these four concerns, a person must create meaning and realize the truth of life, which is actually serving creation, creation and self-fulfillment. Also, in Simin's poetry, loneliness is one of the colorful manifestations that dominates the atmosphere of his sonnets. In their works and writings, both Simin and Yalom believe in fundamental loneliness and tried to solve this kind of loneliness and each of them presented specific solutions. In this research, the author aims to investigate and compare the anthropological foundations of the meaning of loneliness in the opinion of Simin Behbahani and Ervin Yalom, using descriptive-analytical method and library tools, and answer the question whether the theme of loneliness in Simin's poetry is the same as the fundamental loneliness of Yalom? And what is the solution for these two to solve loneliness and get rid of anxiety and worry in life?